So here I am. about one month later and I am online trying to find information on UC.Before this I had never heard of it before. A family friend has Crohn's. Other than that I wouldn't have had any idea about this. I am 20 years old and am determined to not let it control my life. I want to still go out there and make my dreams come true. I want to be able to still go out there and live life to the fullest. I have always been that way and never want it to change.

Is there any advice that any of you could give to a lot 20 year old girl that just wants to go out and live her life to the fullest?

welcome. i'm about a month in as well so i don't have alot of info myself at this point, at least i'm not experenced enough to give advise, but this forum has been by far one of the best sources of info i have found anywhere. good luck.>40mg 30mg prednisone

>100mg azathioprine

>500mg ciprofloxacin

>600mg ferrous gluconate

>Calcium and vitamin D

>HUMIRA injectins every 2 weeks.

tapering off predizone, going off cipro and ferrous, and upping azathioprine, all by january.

Hi and welcome :) I'm sorry that you had to find us this way but glad you are here. Some advice? Stay on your meds even if you are feeling well! You are on medications yes? Get to know your body's signals and when the first hint of a flare is coming on either call your doc or increase your meds. Avoid certain foods while flaring (this is individualistic) but typically the foods to avoid is raw fruits, vegetables, spicy foods, caffeine, alcohol, nuts/seeds because when you flare, your colon may not process these foods properly and it can cause pain and/or possibly aggravate your flare. Learn everything you can about this disease - knowledge is power. And please visit our resource section of this forum as well as www.ccfa.org for more information.

Hi Mindy and welcome. You can totally live life to it's fullest. I was dx'd @ 24 and have done everything my friends have done and more, met my husband, got married in Aruba, have travelled overseas and to the carribbean, partied like a rock star (well maybe not that hard!), continued to put myself through school, bought a house, etc. I try to make the best of any situation (for me there really is no other option, I don't want to sit around and be miserable for too long = ).

I see people who let many things control their lives not neccesarily a medical condition but could be anything and I try not to be like them. I don't want to live like that, I don't want to be that person who is unhappy and lets outside things control their lives, so I keep on trying to be a better person, find a silver lining and always tell myself it could be worse.

Now on the dealing w/UC, when I was first dx'd I had a bad flare and a few other flares when I did not take all my meds and I had to stop taking one of my meds and recently went into a bad flare but am coming out of it. So besides that and a couple of colonoscopy's I have been 'normal'. It can be very difficult going through a flare but make sure to take all your meds, question your doctor and write everything down (I have just started to do this and it is very helpful).

I knew what UC was b/c my Mom had it but still when the Doc told me I had it, then handed me a pamphlet and sent my on my way, I was terrified.........it gets way better.

Hi Mindy, and welcome to HealingWell! My advice....stick with that positive attitude that you have! You've gotten some great advice from others and know that the group of people that are on this forum are a wealth of knowledge, so feel free to ask any questions you have. Also make sure that you have a good relationship with your doc; you need to team with your doc to make sure you get the right meds that work for you. Again, welcome to HealingWell!

I was diagnosed right around my 16th birthday. Now I am 62. While my first few years were rough (back in the dark ages where few of the meds used today existed) I did go college, became a teacher and taught for forty years. While UC inconvenienced me at times, it did not stop me from getting my dreams and living a full life.

My best advice. Have a positive mental attitude while giving yourself permission to have a short pity party when needed. Then leave that party and live your life. Have a sense of humor about yourself. Be open and honest with friends and loved ones about your disease. And when you need support in your life ask for it. And look for it like you did by coming here.

I was 18 when I was first Diagnosed(22 now), it does take some getting used to and it does help to stay positive. If you have another person who is really supportive, its worlds of help also.Diagnosed with Severe Ulcerative Colitis 1/04 -(18 at the time)11/04 Total Colectomy 2/05 Ostomy Takedown1/06 DVT In leg 5/06 Pulmonary Embolii4/07 Another DVT In legCurrent Medications - Vicodin 800mg when needed(yumyum)Coumadin

A good, organized Website for solid info on UC can be found in the Salix Pharmaceuticals Newsletter (archive). It covers just about every subtopic from diet, to meds, to sex life, to travel, etc. Take good care of your health generally & you will likely be able to do most everything you're really interested in, but be sure to get enough rest-- especially to keep the meds working optimally. / Old Hat (nearly 30 yrs with left-sided UC; currently on 3 Colazal daily; seem to be back in remission)

Glad that you found this resource and support system, but sorry that you had a need for it. I was DX'd at 19 or 20 too, and depending on the severity of your condition, you will have times when you are feeling no symptoms, (hopefully most of the time), and times when you need to lay a little lower.

Different foods and lifestyles tend to either improve or exacerbate the problem, so my my best advice to you is to listen to your body and try to isolate foods that give you problems. For example, I avoid caffeine because it really tears me up. I also get to a doc right away as soon as I notice the first signs of a flare coming on. Flares don't get better on their own and tend to get worse and take longer to go away the longer you put off treatment. So, hoping that a flare will resolve itself on its own doesn't happen. It hasn't ever for me at least.

Your health is the same today as it was the day before you were DX'd. The only difference is that you now have a word to explain why your rear-end is mulfunctioning. Just take one day at a time, and work through the challenges. You'll make the adaptations that we all have and will lead a largely normal life. One thing that my mom told me that made me feel not quite so "alone" was that just about everyone has a medical problem that they need to deal with in one way or another. My Dad has bad asthma, my best friend is diabetic, my wife has clinical depression, my ass is broken.. See? We've all just got to play the cards that we've been dealt :)

Good lucK :) Dave

Male - Age 39

Diagnosed in 1988

Moderate Pan Colitis 10 years ago, but mild and fairly controlled since then